Conservation Easement Incentive Act Introduced

This bill will make permanent the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations that helped land trusts conserve 535,000 more acres in 2006 and 2007 than in the previous two years. Click here for our press release.

Thanks to your hard work, Reps. Thompson and Cantor are accompanied by an amazing 93 original cosponsors, including 13 members of the Ways & Means Committee who signed-on before the bill was even introduced! That's nearly 4 times as many original cosponsors as we had in 2006. Great work!

Please check the list below and see if your Representative cosponsored, then…

If so, please call and say thank you! (Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121) You could also adapt our press release or simply forward it to reporters in your service area with a personal note and a quote praising your Representative for signing-on. We'll send more templates and ideas for saying thank-you soon.

If not, your Representative can still sign on as a new cosponsor! Call, ask for the staff member who handles tax issues and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 1831 by contacting Travis Robey in Rep. Mike Thompson's office or Wyatt Stewart in Rep. Eric Cantor's office. We will need every House cosponsor we can get!

Here's the final list of original cosponsors (scroll down for another story below):

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)*

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)*

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA/4th)

Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL/6th)

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI/2nd)

Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY/1st)

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN/7th)

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR/3rd)*

Rep. John Boozman (R-AR/3rd)

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX/8th)*

Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN/5th)

Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA/23rd)

Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA/18th)

Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO/3rd)

Rep. Chris Carney (D-PA/10th)

Rep. Ben Chandler (D-KY/6th)

Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX/11th)

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA/11th)

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA/20th)

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT/2nd)

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA/3rd)

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL/7th)*

Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA/10th)

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT/3rd)

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA/15th)

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL/21st)

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI/15th)

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX/25th)*

Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI/3rd)

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN/5th)

Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY/17th)

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA/14th)

Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC/2nd)*

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE/1st)

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ/11th)

Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA/6th)

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ/8th)

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA/6th)

Rep. John Hall (D-NY/19th)

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL/23rd)

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY/22nd)

Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY/27th)*

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY/22nd)

Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-HI/2nd)

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ/12th)

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA/15th)

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY/2nd)

Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI/8th)

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI/1st)

Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI/5th)

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI/3rd)*

Rep. Peter King (R-NY/3rd)

Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC/8th)

Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD/1st)

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI/2nd)

Rep. John Larson (D-CT/1st)*

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY/18th)

Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY/At-large)

Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA/3rd)

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY/14th)

Rep. Betsy Markey (D-CO/4th)

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI/11th)

Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA/11th)

Rep. Michael Michaud (D-ME/2nd)

Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC/13th)

Rep. George Miller (D-CA/7th)

Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ/5th)

Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT/5th)

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA/8th)

Rep. John Olver (D-MA/1st)

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX/14th)

Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN/3rd)

Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA/5th)

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME/1st)

Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA/16th)

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO/2nd)

Rep. David Price (D-NC/4th)

Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL/12th)

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR/4th)

Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL/6th)*

Rep. John Salazar (D-CO/3rd)

Rep. Mark Schauer (D-MI/7th)

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA/29th)

Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA/13th)*

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA/7th)

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC/11th)

Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA/10th)

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX/13th)

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA/30th)

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY/9th)

Rep. Robert Wittman (R-VA/1st)

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA/10th)

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA/6th)

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY/3rd)*

*Members of the Ways & Means Committee

(Anecdotally we've heard of a few more since, but the bill was introduced Tuesday AM.)

Click here for our most current list and a map showing which Representatives have signed on.

Many of you have expressed concern over a provision in President Barack Obama's budget request that would limit tax deductions for upper income taxpayers, including deductions for charitable donations. Many on Capitol Hill are concerned as well.

On March 26, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced a "sense-of-the-Senate" resolution emphasizing continued support for the full deductibility of charitable gifts. It passed by a 56-41 margin! Key leaders in the House, including Ways & means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) have expressed their opposition as well.

Click here for more information on this provision from independent sector.

Thanks for helping!

Document Actions

February 12: The House successfully voted 279-137, demonstrating a supermajority (67%) of support, on H.R. 644, a package of charitable incentives including the conservation tax incentive.Now we need your help in the Senate to secure co-sponsors! Sens. Heller and Stabenow have requested land trusts’ assistance in asking senators to cosponsor S. 330, the Conservation Easement Incentive Act.Learn more »